DIMIA Annual Report 2002-03
OUTPUT 1.5 - OFFSHORE ASYLUM SEEKER MANAGEMENT
1.5.1 Other Countries
Performance Information
| OUTPUT COMPONENT | MEASURES | RESULTS |
| 1.5.1 - Other Countries | Quantity: Expanded to 2500 places* available for accommodation under renewed MOU arrangements with PNG and Nauru. |
2,500 places are now available. Number of individuals accommodated at OPCs fell from 1,424 in July 2002 to 437 in June 2003 - reflecting resettlement and return movements over this year. |
| Quality: Effective support is provided to allow persons in Offshore Processing Centres to be appropriately accommodated, cared for and given the opportunity for any asylum claims to be considered. |
Appropriate health, welfare, educational, catering and infrastructural services delivered by the IOM to asylum seekers at OPCs. All claims for protection were finalised against UNHCR guidelines, including opportunities for review of primary decisions where these were negative. |
* Increase of 300 places available under renewed MOU arrangement.
Objective
To facilitate the effective management and operation of offshore processing centres in third countries.
Description
This output facilitates offshore asylum seeker management.
Analysis of Performance
Offshore Processing Centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea continued to play a key role in the government's Pacific Strategy and have been effective in delivering offshore asylum seeker processing outcomes.
The processing centres are managed by the IOM at the invitation of the governments of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
Apart from a small number of individual border crossers, there have been no unauthorised boat arrivals after December 2001.
Initial agreements with the governments of Nauru and Papua New Guinea signed in 2001 were renewed in 2002 with effect to 30 June 2003 and 21 October 2003 respectively.
Accommodation capacity under the current agreements provides a total of 2,500 places, 1,500 places on Nauru and 1,000 on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.
A total of 1,544 persons have been accommodated at the centres since their inception.
This figure reduced to 1,424 at 30 June 2002, and was further reduced to 437 at 30 June 2003.
The department maintained a liaison presence at both processing centres to facilitate management interactions on the ground and to enable quick coordinated responses to operational matters, such as medical evacuations.
This presence, combined with DIMIA-hosted weekly inter-agency coordination meetings, resulted in a high level of co-operation between the many stakeholders involved in the various aspects of offshore processing centre management.
Refugee processing is completed with 740 persons found to be refugees, representing an overall approval rate of 49 per cent of the asylum seeker population.
The majority have since been resettled, with 51 refugees still awaiting resettlement.
At 30 June 2003, there have been a total of 389 voluntary returns to country of origin.
The majority of voluntary returns (374) were in the period July 2002 to June 2003 and comprised 346 Afghans, 15 Iranians, three Sri Lankans, three Pakistanis, four Turks, two Iraqis and one Bangladeshi.
Associated infrastructure up-grading projects designed to provide a more reliable processing centre environment continued to be undertaken.
These include upgrading local electricity, water and sewerage services and some associated civil works.
It has also included training to local police, improvements to security management infrastructure and some assistance to local medical facilities.
These works will provide lasting benefits to the local communities.